Nobody would mistake my car for a luxury vehicle. It's small, reliable, affordable, and the perfect size for an urban dweller, but it's unlikely to appeal to drivers who want a bit more. And these days, "a bit more" doesn't simply refer to the latest advances in design and mechanics; in 2017, luxury is all about technology.

Recently, I had a chance to test-drive Cadillac's new CT6 Plug-In, which falls comfortably into that more luxurious sector (it is a Cadillac, after all). As an outsider to the luxury car market, I was surprised how much technology has come to define the segment.

Let's start with the heads-up display (HUD). Most Cadillac models now come standard with a HUD that reflects information on the inside of the windshield—it look like it's hovering over the road ahead. The display conveys things like things like speed, notifications, and even turn-by-turn directions—thus allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road. As someone whose experience with GPS-guided directions has been relegated to my phone's Google Maps app, HUD directions on the windshield are a revelation.

The in-dash display.

On the inside, the car comes standard with a large and intuitive touch-screen panel (the "ICS Power Flow Screen") embedded in the center dashboard. This allows drivers to input directions and provide basic info.

But displays aren't just for the dash: One of the car's most mind-blowing features (to me) is the center rearview mirror, which can turn into a video monitor. At first glance, the "mirror" isn't notable, but look closer and you'll see not your reflection but a live feed from a camera on the back of the car.

It may be difficult to tell, but that's not a mirror; but a monitor hooked-up to a live feed of a camera on the back of the car.

This setup makes a certain amount of sense in that the driver is provided with a clear view of traffic that's unobstructed by anything in the back seat. While the advantages of this feature are clear, I must confess that it took my brain some time to adjust. I should also note that the CT6 comes standard with night vision, but I did not get a chance to try that feature.

This automotive trend towards embedded cameras and monitors is a welcome one; they can eradicate blind spots and aid in parking (a particularly welcome feature for city-dwellers). They'll soon be hard to avoid; the government will require back-up cameras in all new cars under 10,000 pounds by May 2018.

Those cumbersome side-view mirrors, meanwhile, are mandated by law but have long been the bane of many an aerodynamics engineer's existence. Tesla has sought for permission from regulators to completely replace side-view mirrors with interior monitors.

Another tried-and-true element that is disappearing thanks to technology is the old-fashioned key ignition. In order to start the CT6, drivers simply press on the brake pedal and the Power button to the right of the steering wheel. The car will only start if the "Remote Keyless Entry transmitter" (AKA a small FOB on the keychain) is located inside the vehicle. It's pure sorcery for anyone still hopelessly mired in the key-ignition world. I loved it.

Oh, Yeah About That Plug

Tech-centric bells and whistles are nice, but the new CT6's raison d'etre is its plug-in functionality. This is only Cadillac's second foray into the electric/hybrid category (the first being the recently discontinued, and not particularly popular Cadillac ELR).

The CT6 Plug-In uses SAE charging standards (i.e. what most electric models except Tesla use), and the company promises "EPA-rated charge time" of 4.5 hours. Of course, there is an official mobile app that will tell users the status of their car's battery.

The CT6 Plug-In uses SAE charging standards.

I couldn't verify all of Cadillac's promises on the CT6's performance, but the company boasts that it can zoom from 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds and has a 31-mile electric range. When partnered with a full tank of gas, the car has a range of up to 440 miles. It has various manually controlled "regen on demand" settings that the driver can utilize to re-juice the battery during braking and coasting.

When in transit, the driver has the ability to switch between three energy modes: Tour (for standard balance of performance and fuel economy), Sport (for a more jerky feel and stiffer steering response), and Hold (which will allows the driver to preserve their EV range).

I tested the Tour and Sport modes while driving through stop-and-go urban traffic along Manhattan's West Side Highway. The car didn't have a lot of accelerative oomph in this setting (which could be due to the quieter nature of an EV), and I wasn't able to discern much of a difference between the Tour and Sport settings. But once I was able to go closer to full (legal) speed for prolonged stretches, the car's speed and acceleration made itself known.

The CT6 Plug-in starts at just over $75,000 (or around $20,000 more than the standard CT6). This is a car for those with a certain amount of disposable income—Cadillac's own literature places its standard model in market competition with plug-in hybird models from top-shelf brands such as Mercedes-Benz (the S550e), BMW (740e xDriver iPerformance), and Porsche (the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid). And while a sexy exterior and advanced mechanical guts will continue to be a force in high-end cars, the overall digital-ness is quickly becoming the go-to feature.

About the Author

Evan Dashevsky is a features editor with PCMag and host of our live interview series The Convo. He can usually be found listening to blisteringly loud noises on his headphones while exploring the nexus between tech, culture, and politics. Follow his thought sneezes over on the Twitter (@haldash) and slightly more in-depth diatribin' over on the Fac... See Full Bio

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